Navigation

Search

User Menu

About Us

Ragsdale & Associates: Training Specialists, LLC

Company Biography

Ragsdale and Associates has been providing training to the operators in New Mexico since 1994. We have the most knowledgeable and proficient trainers in the state and are capable of presenting training in virtually all areas water and wastewater technologies. From 2000-2003, Ragsdale and Associates was the second largest provider of water and wastewater operator training in New Mexico

Kathleen Ragsdale – Kathleen Ragsdale, President of Ragsdale and Associates: Training Specialists, LLC, has over 30 years experience in business management. Since moving to New Mexico in 1984, she has worked as office and payroll manager for several large retail and construction firms. She is the company business agent and is responsible for all accounts-payable/receivable, payroll, taxation, and employee records for the company. She is also a licensed notary public in New Mexico.

Fred Ragsdale – Fred Ragsdale has 40 years of experience in curriculum development and training in all areas of operations and maintenance of water and wastewater systems. He has a BS degree in Education. He has, been certified at the highest level of water and wastewater operator certification in eight different states. He worked for the Albuquerque Water Utilities Division as an instructional designer and senior instructor for over 18 years. During that time he developed over 600 hours of classroom training in water production, distribution, mechanical equipment O&M, wastewater collection systems, and water and wastewater operator certification.

Fred was active in the New Mexico Water and Wastewater Association for over 20 years. He has instructed classes at over 50 NMWWA short schools during that time. He also received the NMWWA John Clark Award for Outstanding Service and was the first recipient of the Outstanding Instructor of the Year Award in 1999.

Fred has written several books on operator certification. He has also written equipment O&M manuals for Envirotech Operating Services and has prepared certification manuals for several clients. Three of the books are available on this website.

His water and wastewater training experience prior to coming to New Mexico has included:

· Oklahoma State Health Department – He was with the OSHD for three years as a certification officer. His duties included directing and conducting certification training for water and wastewater systems at 27 Vo-Tech locations across the state. He provided technical assistance, O&M inspections, and was a member of the OSHD emergency response team.

· National Rural Water Association – He developed and presented a 4-day program on small water systems operation maintenance in 5 states. This project also included writing a 360 page “Small Water Systems Operator Manual”.

· Envirotech Operating Services, San Mateo, CA – Fred spent five years as a senior operations coordinator/start-up team leader. His duties included start-up training for four small water and wastewater physical/chemical treatment plants for Long Island Lighting Co. and Wisconsin Power Co. He also conducted start-ups of seven sludge-handling facilities at WWTPs in Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Oregon, and Arkansas. His large system expertise includes plant start up and training for two 120-mgd tertiary activated sludge wastewater plants in Indianapolis and a 300-mgd tertiary activated sludge system in Houston. He was also responsible for developing the operator training and writing the O&M manuals at many of those facilities.